Car coupling



w. McCONWAY, JR-

Patented Jan. 31 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET].

W. McCONWAY, JR.

CAB COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2b. I920.

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. I Application filed July 26,

, Be it known that LVVILLIAM vloCoNWAY, Jr., a citizen ofthe United-States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin (larC-ouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full clear, and exact description of the invention, such as -will enable others skilled inthefart to which it appertains toniakeand use thesarne, I v

My inventionrelates/to car couplers, and although applicable to couplers for railway cars genera1ly,is especially suitable couplersior passenger carsin that means are providedfor allowing the coupler to swing laterally when the .fcaris passing over curved track and ior returning it to a centralizedgposition in the longitudinal axis of the car. The principal ohject of the invention is to providean improved deyice of the character indicated which strong, durable, efficient, oi? compact form, easily assembled and repaired, and in whichloose ness of parts of the inechanis n.resulting from long continued service is substantially eliminated. j

,Generallyflstatod, this object is accoinplished by mounting ,uponzthe stem of the car coupler a centeringniechanisni comprising' a plurality of spring seatsor spring boxes which are reciprocatingly mounted upon the, stem of the coupler so as normally to project outwardly beyond its sides-and to engage a suitableistationary part of the car, the said spring seats being yieldingly separated by a plurality of horizontally spacea parallel springs 1 which are p compressible upon a lateral inoveinentof the coupler to either side of its central position, andbeingprovided;with means for maintaining the springsiin spacedre'lation and also being provided at their; outer ends with convex exterior faces allowing the springs to apply balancing or compensating pressure to the spring seats opposing (the tendency ofthe latter to twist when the coupler moves lengthwise in the operations ofdrait and butting. 1 p

In the drawings illustrating; the preferred embodiment of the 1nvent1on,--

J Figurel is a plan view -of a car-coupler embodying the invention, the parts being in can 'oonrtine.

1920. Serial No. 399,131.

normal position and a portion of the car being diagrammatically illustrated. V V v i lg'. 2 is a side elevation of the Inecha-i 1118111.

ig. is a View, partly in plan and partly 1'11, horizontal section, illustrating therela oi the reciprocating spring seats or spring boxes.

The general features of construction of the car coupler in which my invention is en1 bodied may be and preferably are of the character disclosed in Patent No. 1,311,699

granted to William Kelso July 2S),.l 919, al-

thoupfl enti yention is applicable to cargcouplers having details of construction unlike those which arethe subject of that patent. i I

In the (lraud-ng's,1 indicates thehead and WILLIAM iacoouwa r; is, on rrrrsnnr Tn, rnnnsrtvnnie, assienon' ro runk LMcCONWAY e TORLEY nonsense; senses, :enrntsrizvaumg A some i 1 Specification of Lettersfatenti Faisa -pad J 31 elevation it will be appreciated that the pres- 2' is'the stenroi a car coupler, these parts,

ii desired, being pivot-ally connected by means of a pivot pin 3 in a well known man'- ner. The coupler is designed to be mounted upon the car so to swing laterallywith respect thereto, and for that purpose the rear end oi the coupler stein may be proyided with suitable pivot pin "apertures 4 which are adapted to receive a tail pinto r connecting} the coupler to the drafti' yoke (not shown). p i i i V a lwlierepas illustrated in the drawings, the coupler is provided with a head 1 which is spect to the steinbypineans ofa centering slide or "frame 5 which is adapted, whenthe coupler head turns uponthe pivot pin 3, to be forced rearwardly on the coupler stem 2 so as to effect a compression of the springthat is interposed between said sternv and thecentering slide The construction and inode of'operation of the sliding frame 5 are pivotallyattached tothe couplerstem, it is v preferred to centralize the head H witlrrer vwell known and are described in the lflelso patent heretofore mentioned. i V

a The coupler stem is open through its sides so as to permit spring seats or spring boxes 7 to project outwardly beyond the sides of the stern. Where the reciprocating slide 5 for centering the coupler head is employed the lateral openings through the coupler.

stem are made of suiiicient length to permit the requisite longitudinal movements of said slide, and the spring seats 7 may be mounted on the slide and project through suitable openings therein, the reciprocating movements of said spring seats in a direction transversely of the coupler stem being dictated by guiding surfaces upon the slidable frame 5 after the manner of the CODStlUCfi tion disclosed in the Kelso patent heretofore referred to. The openings through the sides of the coupler stem may conveniently be formed by .fashioning the forward por tending springs 9 which are compressible upon a lateral movement of the coupler stem to either side of its central position.

.In the normal or centralized position of the coupler the springs 9 maintain the spring seats 7 in their projected positions so that the outer ends of the latter engage the neighboring vertical faces 10 of stationary parts of the car. [Each of the spring seats 7 is preferably provided on its interior with a wall or web 11 which extends between the parallel horizontally spaced springs 9 so as to'maintain them in spaced relation; and at its outer end each of the spring seats is preferably formed with av convex exterior face 12, which extends on opposite sides of the neighboring partition or web 11. By arranging the springs 9 in horizontally spaced twin relation between the spring seats 7, which are elongated lengthwise of the car,

. g the tendency of thesaid seats to twist and develop looseness resulting from the frictional drag of their outer ends against the stationary parts of the car when the coupler executes draft and bufling movements is resisted and substantially eliminated; and this advantageous result, consequent upon affording spring {support for the spring seats practically throughout their entire length, is augmented by reason of theconvex form of the ends of the spring seats which'enables the pressure of the springs 9 to have a balancing effect tending to maintain the spring boxes in proper alinement with each other. The increased length of the spring seats 7 resultingfrom the parallel arrangement of the springs 9is not detrimental, but is in fact advantageous in that the spring seats or spring boxes may be made of increased strength rendering it practically impossible for them to be sheared or broken off should they be pulled or pushed beyond the edge of the carrier iron 13 when the coupler stem is displaced laterally on curves; I

When a car equipped with a car coupler constructed in accordance with my inventionpasses around a curve in the track, not only does the coupler stem 2 swing laterally from its centralized position, but the coupler head 1 also usually turns upon the pivot pin 3. The results of the laterally swinging movements of the coupler stem and pivoted coupler head may, however, be separately described. The rotation of the coupler head 1 upon thepivot pin 8 causes the centering slide or frame 5 to slide rearwardly-upon the coupler stem 2 and effect a compression of the spring 6. Thereafter when the force causing the displacement of the couplerhead from its normal position ceases to act, the spring 6 expands, thereby causing the. centering slide-5 to return to normal position and rotate the coupler head 1 to normal position with respect to the coupler stem. The

operation of the mechanism for centering the coupler stem 2 with respect to the car body'is as follows: When the coupler stem swings laterally from-its position in the longitudinal axis of the car it moves one of the spring seats 7 toward the other spring seat, which latter isheld against retreat by hearing at its outer end against a stationary part 10 of the car. The approach of the spring seats causes a compression of the springs 9 corresponding to, the extent of lateral displacement of the coupler stem. Immediately upon a cessation of the force causing the lateral swinging of the coupler from its normal position the springs 9 expand-and the spring seat 7 which has been displaced by the movement of the coupler stem is restored to normal position carrying with it the coupler stem so that the latter is returned to a central position.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention is compact and easily and economically applied, and is suitable for very heavy service.

I claim 1. Ina car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a coupler stem having openings through its opposite sides, a plurality of spring seats mounted upon said stem and adapted to project outwardly through of said stem, and a plurality of transversely extending springs interposed between said spring seats and yieldingly separating the same, the axes of said springs being spaced horizontally.

' said openings and to reciprocate transversely 2. In a car coupler, the combination with a laterally swinging coupler stem, of a plurality of springs movable with said stem and compressible upon a lateral movement of said stem to either side of its central position, and spring seats reciprocatingly mounted upon and adapted to project outwardly beyond the sides of said stem, said spring seats being yieldingly separated by said springs, the outer end faces of said spring seats being of convex form, and the axes of said springs being disposed in horizontally spaced relation on opposite sides of the apexes of said convex end faces.

8. In a car coupler, the combination with a laterally swinging coupler stem having openings through its opposite sides, of a plurality of spring seats movably mounted upon said. stem and adapted to project outwardly through said openings, and a plurality of horizontally spaced springs mov able with said stem and interposed between said spring seats, each of said spring seats being provided with means for maintaining said springs in spaced relation.

4. In a car coupler, the combination with a laterally swinging coupler stem, of a plu rality of parallel, arranged horizontally spaced springs movable with said stem and compressible upon a lateral movement of said stem to either side of its central position, and spring seats reciprocatingly mounted upon and adapted to project outwardly beyond the sides of said stem, said spring seats being yieldingly separated by said springs and each being provided with a por- WILLIAM MoCONWAY, 4 J R. 

